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<h1>Gosh Darn! I knew I learned this for some reason!</h1>

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<center><span class="summary">Outline</span></center>
<ol>
<li><a href="#part1">Other uses of the te-form</a></li>
<li><a href="#part2">Using 「～ている」 for enduring states</a></li>
<li><a href="#part3">Enduring state of being rather than enduring state of action</a></li>
<li><a href="#part4">Using 「～てある」 for resultant states</a></li>
<li><a href="#part5">Using the 「～ておく」 form as preparation for the future</a></li>
<li><a href="#part6">Using motion verbs （行く、来る） with the te-form</a></li>
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<h2 id="part1">Other uses of the te-form</h2>
The te-form is incredibly useful as it is used widely in many different types of grammatical expressions.
We will learn about enduring states with the 「～ている」 and 「～てある」 form.
Even though we have learned various conjugations for verbs, they have all been one-time actions.  We will now go over how one would say, for example,
"I <u>am</u> running."  We will also learn how to perform an action for the future using the 「～ておく」 expression and to express directions of actions using
「～ていく」 and 「～てくる」.

<h2 id="part2">Using 「～ている」 for enduring states</h2>
We already know how to express a state of being using 「です」, 「だ」, etc.  However, it only indicates a one-time thing; you are something or not.
This grammar, however, describes a continuing state of an action verb.
This usually translates to the gerund in English except for a few exceptions, which we will examine later.  We can make good use of the te-form
we learned in the last section because the only thing to do left to do is add 「<span title="いる - to exist (animate)" class="popup">いる</span>」!
You can then treat the result as a regular ru-verb.

<p>This 「<span title="いる - to exist (animate)" class="popup">いる</span>」 is the same ru-verb describing existence, first described in the <a href="negverb.html#part2">negative
verb section</a>. However, in this case, you don't have to worry about whether the subject is animate or inanimate. </p>

<div class="sumbox">
<span class="summary">Using 「～ている」 for enduring states</span>
<ul class="plain">
<li>To describe a continuing action, first conjugate the verb to the te-form and then attach the verb 「いる」.  The entire result conjugates as a ru-verb.</li>
<li>例）　<span title="たべる - to eat" class="popup">食べ<em><strike>る</strike></em></span> → <span title="たべる - to eat" class="popup">食べ<em>て</em></span> → <span title="たべる - to eat" class="popup">食べて</span><em>いる</em></li>
<li>例）　<span title="よむ - to read" class="popup">読<em><strike>む</strike></em></span> → <span title="よむ - to read" class="popup">読ん<em>で</em></span> → <span title="よむ - to read" class="popup">読んで</span><em>いる</em></li>
</ul>

<center>
<table border="1" cellpadding="5">
<caption>The result conjugates as a ru-verb regardless of what the original verb is</caption>
<tr align="center"><th></th><th colspan="2">Positive</th><th colspan="2">Negative</th></tr>
<tr align="center"><th>Non-Past</th><td><span title="よむ - to read" class="popup">読んで</span><em>いる</em></td><td>reading</td><td><span title="よむ - to read" class="popup">読んで</span><em>いない</em></td><td>is not reading</td></tr>

<tr align="center"><th>Past</th><td><span title="よむ - to read" class="popup">読んで</span><em>いた</em></td><td>was reading</td><td><span title="よむ - to read" class="popup">読んで</span><em>いなかった</em></td><td>was not reading</td></tr>

</table>
</center>

</div>


<h3>Examples</h3>

<p>（１）　<span title="ともだち - friend" class="popup">友達</span>は<span title="なに - what" class="popup">何</span>を<span title="する - to do" class="popup">し<em>ている</em></span>の？- What is friend doing?
<br />（２）　<span title="ひるごはん - lunch" class="popup">昼ご飯</span>を<span title="たべる - to eat" class="popup">食べ<em>ている</em></span>。- (Friend) is eating lunch.
</p>

<p>Note that once you've changed it into a regular ru-verb, you can do all the normal conjugations.  The examples show the masu-form and plain
negative conjugations.</p>


<p>（１）　<span title="なに - what" class="popup">何</span>を<span title="よむ - to read" class="popup">読ん<em>でいる</em></span>？- What are you reading?
<br />（２）　<span title="きょうかしょ - textbook" class="popup">教科書</span>を<span title="よむ - to read" class="popup">読ん<em>でいます</em></span>。- I am reading textbook.
</p>

<p>（１）　<span title="はなし - story" class="popup">話</span>を<span title="きく - to listen, to ask" class="popup">聞い<em>ていますか</em></span>。- Are you listening to me? (lit: Are you listening to story?)
<br />（２）　<span title="ううん - no" class="popup">ううん</span>、<span title="きく - to listen, to ask" class="popup">聞い<em>ていない</em></span>。- No, I'm not listening.
</p>

<p>Since people are usually too lazy to roll their tongues
 to properly pronounce the 「い」, in more casual situations, the 「い」 is simply dropped.  This is a convenience for speaking.  If you were
writing an essay or paper, you should always include the 「い」.  Here are the abbreviated versions of the previous examples.
</p>

<p>（１）　<span title="ともだち - friend" class="popup">友達</span>は<span title="なに - what" class="popup">何</span>を<span title="する - to do" class="popup">し<em>てる</em></span>の？- What is friend doing?
<br />（２）　<span title="ひるごはん - lunch" class="popup">昼ご飯</span>を<span title="たべる - to eat" class="popup">食べ<em>てる</em></span>。- (Friend) is eating lunch.
</p>

<p>（１）　<span title="なに - what" class="popup">何</span>を<span title="よむ - to read" class="popup">読ん<em>でる</em>？</span>- What are you reading?
<br />（２）　<span title="きょうかしょ - textbook" class="popup">教科書</span>を<span title="よむ - to read" class="popup">読ん<em>でいます</em></span>。- I am reading textbook.
</p>

<p>（１）　<span title="はなし - story" class="popup">話</span>を<span title="きく - to listen, to ask" class="popup">聞い<em>ていますか</em></span>。- Are you listening to me? (lit: Are you listening to story?)
<br />（２）　<span title="ううん - no" class="popup">ううん</span>、<span title="きく - to listen, to ask" class="popup">聞い<em>てない</em></span>。- No, I'm not listening.
</p>

<p>Notice how I left the 「い」 alone for the polite forms.  Though people certainly omit the 「い」 even in polite form, you might want to get used to
the proper way of saying things first before getting carried away with casual abbreviations.
You will be amazed at the extensive types of abbreviations that exist in casual speech.  (You may also be amazed at
how long everything gets in super polite speech.)  Basically, you will get the abbreviations if you just act lazy and slur everything together.
Particles also get punted off left and right.
</p>

<p>For example:
<br />（１）　<span title="なに - what" class="popup">何</span>を<span title="する - to do" class="popup">している</span>の？(Those particles are such a pain to say all the time...)
<br />（２）　<span title="なに - what" class="popup">何</span><span title="する - to do" class="popup">している</span>の？ (Ugh, I hate having to spell out all the vowels.)
<br />（３）　<span title="なに - what" class="popup">何</span><span title="する - to do" class="popup">してん</span>の？ (Ah, perfect.)
</p>

<h2 id="part3">Enduring state of being rather than enduring state of action</h2>
There are certain cases where an enduring state doesn't translate into the gerund form.
In fact, there is a ambiguity in whether one is in a state of <i>doing</i> an action versus
being in a state that <i>resulted</i> from some action. This is usually decided by context and common practices. For example, although
「<span title="けっこん - marriage" class="popup">結婚</span><span title="する - to do" class="popup">している</span>」 can technically mean
someone is in a chapel currently getting married, it is usually used to refer to someone who is already married and is currently in that married state. We'll now
discuss some common verbs that often cause this type of confusion for learners of Japanese.

<p><b>「<span title="しる - to know" class="popup">知る</span>」</b>
<br />「<span title="しる - to know" class="popup">知る</span>」 means "to know".  English is weird in that "know" is supposed to be a verb but is actually describing a state of having knowledge.
Japanese is more consistent and 「<span title="しる - to know" class="popup">知る</span>」 is just a regular action verb.  In other words, I "knowed" (action) something and so now I know it (state).
That's why the English word "to know" is really a continuing state in Japanese, namely: 「<span title="しる - to know" class="popup">知っている</span>」.
</p>

<p><b>「<span title="しる - to know" class="popup">知る</span>」 vs 「<span title="わかる - to understand" class="popup">分かる</span>」</b>
<br />「<span title="わかる - to understand" class="popup">分かる</span>」 meaning "to understand" may seem similar to 「<span title="しる - to know" class="popup">知る</span>」 in some cases.  However, there is a difference between "knowing" and "understanding".
Try not to confuse 「<span title="しる - to know" class="popup">知っている</span>」 with
「<span title="わかる - to understand" class="popup">分かっている</span>」.  「<span title="わかる - to understand" class="popup">分かっている</span>」 means that you are already in a state of understanding, in other words, you already get it.  If you misuse this, you
may sound pompous. ("Yeah, yeah, I got it already.")  On the other hand, 「<span title="しる - to know" class="popup">知っている</span>」 simply means you know something.
</p>

<h3>Examples</h3>

<p>（１）　<span title="きょう - today" class="popup">今日</span><em>、<span title="しる - to know" class="popup">知りました</span></em>。- I found out about it today. (I did the action of knowing today.)
<br />（２）　<span title="この - this" class="popup">この</span><span title="うた - song" class="popup">歌</span>を<em><span title="しる - to know" class="popup">知っています</span></em>か？- Do (you) know this song?
<br />（３）　<span title="みち - road" class="popup">道</span>は<em><span title="わかる - to understand" class="popup">分かります</span></em>か。－Do you know the way? (lit: Do (you) understand the road?)
<br />（４）　<span title="はい - yes" class="popup">はい</span>、<span title="はい - yes" class="popup">はい</span>、<em><span title="わかる - to understand" class="popup">分かった</span></em>、<em><span title="わかる - to understand" class="popup">分かった</span></em>。 - Yes, yes, I got it, I got it.
</p>


<p><b>Motion Verbs (<span title="行く - to go" class="popup">行く</span>、<span title="くる - to come" class="popup">来る</span>、etc.)</b>
<br />It is reasonable to assume the actions 「<span title="行く - to go" class="popup">行っている</span>」 and 「<span title="くる - to come" class="popup">来ている</span>」 would mean, "going" and "coming" respectively.  But unfortunately, this is
not the case.  The 「～ている」 form of motion verbs is more like a sequence of actions we saw in the last section.  You completed the motion, and now
you exist in that state.  (Remember, 「<span title="いる - to exist (animate)" class="popup">いる</span>」 is the verb of existence of animate objects.)  It might help to think of it as two separate and successive actions: 「<span title="行く - to go" class="popup">行って</span>」、and then 「<span title="いる - to exist (animate)" class="popup">いる</span>」.
</p>

<h3>Examples</h3>

<p>（１）　<span title="すずき - Suzuki" class="popup">鈴木</span>さんは<span title="どこ - where" class="popup">どこ</span>ですか。－Where is Suzuki-san?
<br />（２）　<span title="もう - already" class="popup">もう</span>、<span title="いえ - house" class="popup">家</span>に<em><span title="かえる - to go home" class="popup">帰っている</span></em>。- He is already at home (went home and is there now).
<br />
<br />（３）　<span title="さき - before" class="popup">先</span>に<em><span title="行く - to go" class="popup">行っている</span></em>よ。- I'll go on ahead. (I'll go and be there before you.)
<br />（４）　<span title="みえ - Mie" class="popup">美恵</span>ちゃんは、<span title="もう - already" class="popup">もう</span><em><span title="くる - to come" class="popup">来ている</span></em>よ。- Mie-chan is already here, you know. (She came and is here.)
</p>

<h2 id="part4">Using 「～てある」 for resultant states</h2>
Appropriately enough, just like there is an 「<span title="ある - to exist (inanimate)" class="popup">ある</span>」 to go with 「<span title="いる - to exist (animate)" class="popup">いる</span>」, there is a 「～てある」 form that also has a special meaning.  By replacing 「<span title="いる - to exist (animate)" class="popup">いる</span>」 with
「<span title="ある - to exist (inanimate)" class="popup">ある</span>」, instead of a continuing action, it becomes a resultant state after the action has already taken place.  Usually, this expression is used to
explain that something is in a state of completion.  The completed action also carries a nuance of being completed in preparation for something else.

<h3>Examples</h3>

<p>Since this grammar describes the state of a completed action, it is common to see the 「は」 and 「も」 particles instead of the 「を」 particle.</p>

<p>（１）　<span title="じゅんび - preparations" class="popup">準備</span>は<span title="どう - how" class="popup">どう</span>ですか。- How are the preparations?
<br />（２）　<span title="じゅんび - preparations" class="popup">準備</span>は、<span title="もう - already" class="popup">もう</span><em><span title="する - to do" class="popup">してある</span>よ</em>。 - The preparations are already done.
</p>

<p>（１）　<span title="りょこう - travel" class="popup">旅行</span>の<span title="けいかく - plans" class="popup">計画</span>は<span title="おわる - to end" class="popup">終った</span>？- Are the plans for the trip complete?
<br />（２）　<span title="うん - yeah, uh huh" class="popup">うん</span>、<span title="きっぷ - ticket" class="popup">切符</span>を<span title="かう - to buy" class="popup">買った</span>し、<span title="ホテル - hotel" class="popup">ホテル</span>の<span title="よやく - reservation" class="popup">予約</span>も<em><span title="する - to do" class="popup">してある</span></em>。-
Uh huh, not only did I buy the ticket, I also took care of the hotel reservations.
</p>

<h2 id="part5">Using the 「～ておく」 form as preparation for the future</h2>
While 「～てある」 carries a nuance of a completed action in preparation for something else, 「～ておく」 explicitly states that the action is
done (or will be done) with the future in mind.  Imagine this: you have made a delicious pie and you're going to <i>place</i> it on the window sill for it to cool so that you
can eat it later.  This image might help explain why the verb 「<span title="おく - to place" class="popup">おく</span>」 （<span title="おく - to place" class="popup">置く</span>）, meaning "to place",  can be used to describe a preparation for the future.  (It's just
too bad that pies on window sills always seem to go through some kind of mishap especially in cartoons.)
While 「<span title="おく - to place" class="popup">置く</span>」 by itself is written in kanji, it is customary to use hiragana when it comes attached to a conjugated verb (such as the te-form).

<h3>Examples</h3>

<p>（１）　<span title="ばんごはん - dinner" class="popup">晩ご飯</span>を<em><span title="つくる - to make" class="popup">作っておく</span></em>。- Make dinner (in advance for the future).
<br />（２）　<span title="でんち - battery" class="popup">電池</span>を<em><span title="かう - to buy" class="popup">買っておきます</span></em>。- I'll buy batteries (in advance for the future).
</p>

<p>「ておく」 is also sometimes abbreviated to 「～とく」 for convenience.
<br />（１）　<span title="ばんごはん - dinner" class="popup">晩ご飯</span>を<span title="つくる - to make" class="popup">作っ<em>とく</em></span>。- Make dinner (in advance for the future).
<br />（２）　<span title="でんち - battery" class="popup">電池</span>を<span title="かう - to buy" class="popup">買っ<em>ときます</em></span>。- I'll buy batteries (in advance for the future).
</p>

<h2 id="part6">Using motion verbs （<span title="行く - to go" class="popup">行く</span>、<span title="くる - to come" class="popup">来る</span>） with the te-form</h2>
You can also use the motion verb "to go" （<span title="行く - to go" class="popup">行く</span>）and "to come" with the te-form, to show that an action is oriented toward or from someplace. The most common
and useful example of this the verb 「<span title="もつ - to hold" class="popup">持つ</span>」 (to hold).  While 「<span title="もつ - to hold" class="popup">持っている</span>」 means you are in a state of holding something (in possession of), when the 「<span title="いる - to exist (animate)" class="popup">いる</span>」 is
replaced with 「<span title="いく - to go" class="popup">いく</span>」 or 「<span title="くる - to come" class="popup">くる</span>」, it means you are taking or bringing something. Of course, the conjugation is the same as the regular 「<span title="行く - to go" class="popup">行く</span>」 and 「<span title="くる - to come" class="popup">来る</span>」.

<h3>Examples</h3>

<p>（１）　<span title="えんぴつ - pencil" class="popup">鉛筆</span>を<span title="もつ - to hold" class="popup">持って<em>いる</em></span>？- Do (you) have a pencil?
<br />（２）　<span title="えんぴつ - pencil" class="popup">鉛筆</span>を<span title="がっこう - school" class="popup">学校</span>へ<span title="もつ - to hold" class="popup">持って<em>いく</em></span>？- Are (you) taking pencil to school?
<br />（３）　<span title="えんぴつ - pencil" class="popup">鉛筆</span>を<span title="いえ - house" class="popup">家</span>に<span title="もつ - to hold" class="popup">持って<em>くる</em></span>？- Are (you) bringing pencil to home?
</p>

<p>For these examples, it may make more sense to think of them as a sequence of actions: hold and go, or hold and come.  Here are a couple more
examples.
</p>
<p>（１）　<span title="おとうさん - father" class="popup">お父さん</span>は、<span title="はやい - fase, early" class="popup">早く</span><span title="かえる - to go home" class="popup">帰って<em>きました</em></span>。- Father came back home early.
<br />（２）　<span title="えき - station" class="popup">駅</span>の<span title="ほう - direction, way" class="popup">方</span>へ<span title="はしる - to run" class="popup">走って<em>いった</em></span>。- Ran toward the direction of station.
</p>

<p>
The motion verbs can also be used in time expressions to move forward or come up to the present.
</p>

<p>（１）　<span title="ふゆ - winter" class="popup">冬</span>に<span title="はいる - to enter" class="popup">入って</span>、<span title="コート - coat" class="popup">コート</span>を<span title="きる - to wear" class="popup">着ている</span><span title="ひと - person" class="popup">人</span>が<span title="ふえる - to increase" class="popup">増えて<em>いきます</em></span>。
<br />- Entering winter, people wearing coat will increase (toward the future).
</p>

<p>
（２）　<span title="いっしょうけんめい - with all one's might" class="popup">一生懸命</span>、<span title="がんばる - to try one's best" class="popup">頑張って<em>いく</em></span>！
<br />- Will try my hardest (toward the future) with all my might!
</p>

<p>
（３）　<span title="いろいろ - various" class="popup">色々</span>な<span title="ひと - person" class="popup">人</span>と<span title="つきあう - to go out with, to keep in company with" class="popup">付き合って<em>きた</em></span>けど、<span title="いい - good" class="popup">いい</span><span title="ひと - person" class="popup">人</span>は<span title="まだ - yet" class="popup">まだ</span><span title="みつかる - to be found" class="popup">見つからない</span>。
<br />- Went out (up to the present) with various types of people but have yet to find a good person.
</p>

<p>
（４）　<span title="にほんご - Japanese language" class="popup">日本語</span>を<span title="ずっと - long, far" class="popup">ずっと</span><span title="まえ - front, before" class="popup">前</span>から<span title="べんきょう - study" class="popup">勉強</span><span title="する - to do" class="popup">して<em>きて</em></span>、<span title="けっきょく - eventually" class="popup">結局</span>は<span title="やめる - to stop" class="popup">やめた</span>。
<br />- Studied Japanese from way back before and eventually quit.
</p>

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<p class="copyright">Copyright &copy; 2003-2007 Tae Kim (taekim.japanese AT gmail.com)</p>
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<div class="small" style="text-align:right;"><pre>This page has last been revised on 2006/1/4</pre></div>

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